RECURRENCE OF EARTHQUAKES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20789, 24 February 1933, Page 10

RECURRENCE OF EARTHQUAKES.

w ! DISCUSSION BY CIVJL '.ENGINEERS. ■■ l ~~ .■ .„• .\ Reference to the previously expressed opinion that New Zealand could expect to experience a severe earthquake once in every 20 years, and that one of those earthquakes would some day strike a big city, with disastrous results, was again made at the annual conference of tl > o New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers yesterday. A member speaking at the morning sitting question«d whether the society had acted wisely in allowing the previous assertion o* Professor J. E. L. Cull, that New Zealand should be prepared to experience such periodical earthquakes, to be made public. The same reference to the recurrence of earthquakes was made by Mr I. H. llobinson, when members were discussing his paper on the effects of earthquakes on electrical supply systems, and Mr Robinson stated that he and his co-author (Mr H. L. Benjamin) had agreed that a little publicity was desirable. . ' . , "Our statement that an earthquake can. be expected every 20 years is a considered one) and-we also consider© o whether we should adopt a hush-hustf policy or have a little publicity given, for the sake of making people alive? to the necessity of preparing for sucU an occurrence," said Mr llobinson. "We deoided to give the matter publicity. The statement is based on very definite information that in the past one hundred years we have had earth* quakes of the intensity of the one at Napier, once in 20 years. Ttjat is the conclusion of scientists." Oamaru's Safety. Reference to the immunity ot Oamaru fr'om earthquakes was made earlier in the discussion by Mr I. Calmer, who stated that Oamaru wag in a non-earthquake area. This was denied by Mr J. Cullens (Christchurch), who said that during the last century Oamaru had experienced an earthquake of such severity that the residents had had to, sleep out of doors for a fortnight. "The area has gone dry since then,'' wns Mr Daimer's retort. Mr Robinson later remarked that he did not think that Oamaru could be regarded as being in a non-earth-ouake region. He dicl not think, from the fault-map, that any place in New Zealand was entirely immune, perhaps with the exception of the extreme north of the North Island. Evidence of the diligence with which tlu. Soviet Republic is exploring every possible venue .which provides prospects of a trade outlet was forthcoming at a meeting of the executive of the Otago Importers' and Shippers' Association on Tuesday. Among the correspondence which came before the meeting was a letter from the New Zealand agents of the Republic regarding the possibilities of Russian trade with the Dominion. In the course of the letter interesting statistics were given regarding the volume and balance of trade between the Soviet Republic and Great Britain as compared with that between Britain and other leading countries. ' /